Ford Motor (NYSE:F) Trading Up 1.5% – Here’s Why

Ford Motor (NYSE:F)’s share price rose 1.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $9.41 and last traded at $9.37. Approximately 24,095,253 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 77,038,133 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

F has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Ford Motor from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $12.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays downgraded shares of Ford Motor from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $13.00 to $11.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Ford Motor to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.89.

Ford Motor Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $9.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.47. The company has a market cap of $37.66 billion, a PE ratio of 6.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The auto manufacturer reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. Ford Motor had a return on equity of 16.88% and a net margin of 3.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Ford Motor’s payout ratio is presently 41.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ford Motor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.74% of the company’s stock.

Ford Motor Company Profile

Ford Motor Company develops, delivers, and services a range of Ford trucks, commercial cars and vans, sport utility vehicles, and Lincoln luxury vehicles worldwide. It operates through Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro; Ford Next; and Ford Credit segments. The company sells Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories through distributors and dealers, as well as through dealerships to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, and governments.